Coastlands

Melodic instrumentals suggesting a fusion of Kraut, Prog, and ambient rock

By Eric Evans

The Ridley Scott film Legend has some impressive visuals (not least of which being Tim Curry in full-on demon makeup) but the Tangerine Dream soundtrack is the best part of the movie. By the ’80s the Krautrock pioneers had finessed their widescreen sound from the endless vistas of Zeit to more easily digestible lengths. In that vein is Come Morning, A Radiant Light by Coastlands, a collection of ambient (almost) instrumental pieces that feel cinematic in scope. You can hear the band at the core of the music—guitars strumming and chiming prominently over washes of synth, drums punctuating certain tracks—so there’s more late-period Tangerine Dream here than not, but too strong a comparison is probably unfair. For as much Krautrock flavor as is present, there’s also an undercurrent of the melodic, uplifting new age synth albums of Andreas Vollenweider or Patrick O’Hearn. The tracks all sound organic as if played by a band, not constructed in studio software, and each feels very much part of a larger whole. The solemn guitar of “Skeletons” invites you in before building into a crescendo of melodic power; “Heron” saunters toward a melancholy not unlike the best instrumental Zappa, a distant cousin of “Watermelon in Easter Hay”; the rat-tat-tat drum of the title track propels the ambient synths and guitars forward, reaching the majestic then slowly receding to silence.

The band has several releases available and they’re all recommendable. Come Morning, A Radiant Light works beautifully from start to finish. If you dig this, you’ll dig the rest. - Eric Evans

Meanwhile, Coastlands’ newest album Come Morning, A Radiant Light sees the trio venturing into the ethereal stillness of the emotive, ambient music at the edges of post-rock made by figures like Eluvium and Helios. Their newest album Come Morning, A Radiant Light is really quite lovely. - Foreign Accents